Automatic stage lift flowing device



Sept; 12, 1933. A, BOYNTON AUTOMATIC STAGE LIFT FLOWING DEVICE Filed May17; 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Sept 12, 1933. A. BOYNTONAUTOMATIC STAGE LIFT FLOWING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Q man a.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS M w W; m

epfia 12, 119330 A BOYNTON 1,92,31

AUTOMATIC STAGE LIFT FLOWING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet'4j '1 film. 8.

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5*atented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Alexander Boynton.San Antonio, 'lexx. :issiguor to Chas. A. Beatty, San Antonio, Tex.

Application May 17. 1927.

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in well flowing apparatus,particularly to certain flowing devices for a stage lift flowingapparatus. and its objects are as follows: First. to provide what may betermed a flowing device for each valve of a series of such valves in atubing string, designed to be operated entirely upon the difference influid and liquid pressures at opposite sides of the tubing string insuch manner as to initiate and control the flow of liquid in the well.

Second, to effect the foregoing control by means of a reciprocableplunger which is provided with adjustable means for regulating the"pick-up" and drop-back" as briefly explained later on.

Third, to provide an arrangement wherein the plunger and itsspring orsprings are situated in individual compartments separated from eachother by a means which has a connecting passageway through which aportion of the spring extends to reach the plunger.

Fourth, to yieldingly suspend the plunger by providing duplicate springsin separate compartments and causing the near ends of the springs toextend through passages whereat they reach the plunger and engage theends thereof.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following specification.reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one of the valves of a seriesof such valves connected in the tubing string of a well,

Figure 2 is a central vertical section of the valve body which isdesigned along the lines of Figure 1, but in which the plunger ismodified to the extent of tapering a portion thereof as appears later,

Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the valve body in which thewall of the plunger chamber is provided with a spiral of diminishingdepth,

Figure 4 is a central vertical section of the valve body illustrating amodification wherein the foregoing spiral grooves are replaced byperpendicular tongues in extension of bottom plug constituting a linerof the wall of the plunger chamber,

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of the slit bushing by which theslots shown in Fig. 4 are formed,

Figure 6 is a detail cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4, v

Figure 7 is a central vertical section of the valve illustrating the useof opposed springs for the suspension of the plunger, said springs hav-Serial No. 192.049

iug extensions through sleeves upon either of which the plunger isadapted to seat to close an adjacent port.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of the valve showing the use of a checkvalve assemblage in coaction with the plunger.

Figure 9 is a horizontal section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Brief reference may be made to a co-pending application with which thesubject matter of the present application is closely associated, theformer being an application for a patent for Automatic stage liftflowing apparatus for wells, filed April 5. 1927, Serial Number 181,144.The co-pcnding patent application relates more to the general principleof elevating or lifting liquid from a well, this being accomplished bywhat is known as either the tubing or the casing method, depending uponwhether the applied fluid pressure is imposed upon the liquid in theouter casing so as to force said liquid up and out of the tubing string,or is imposed upon the liquid in the tubing string thus to force theliquid up and out of the outer casing.

The present invention has more to do with the specific forms of acertain plunger and plunger chambers as Well as the resilient means foracting upon the plunger, the combination comprising the vital factor inthe control of both the applied fluid pressure and the flowing liquid.Much is said in the foregoing copending patent application about thepick-up" and drop-back of the plunger, and for the purpose of a quickunderstanding of these terms, it may be explained that the pick-up ofthe plunger is governed by the by-passing volume, whereas the drop-backis governed by the area of the seat at one end of the plunger chamberwith which the adjoining end of the plunger is engageable.

A great deal depends upon the proper proportioning of the plunger for byworking out the proportions of the plunger there can be obtained markeddifferences in the behavior of the plunger under given conditions in thewell. It will become evident to the reader that a rapid rush of gasthrough the plunger chamber at full pressure will tend to carry with itthe plunger to a seating position, while the rising column of liquideither inside or outside of the tubing string will develop such backpressure upon the plunger as will cause it to waver in reference to itsseat and thus establish an automatic control of the passage of the gasor pressure fluid through the plunger chamber as well as automaticallycontrol the rapidity flow of the fluid itself.

Where, as previously stated, the co-pending patent application dealswith the general principle announced, the present application deals withthe specific arrangement of the plunger and its associated parts. Thefollowing description is thus devoted to an explanation of the variousstructures reference being had to several typical modificationsaccording to what is regarded as logical order.

In Figure 1, the valve body 1 has a conduit 2 communicable with adjacentsections of tubing 3 and 4 of a tubing string which sections are screwedinto the extremities of the valve body. A lateral enlargement 5 of thevalve body is formed to provide the plunger chamber 6, upper valve seat7, passages 8 and spring chamber 9. A plunger 10 is provided withadjustable means for regulating the foregoing pick-up and drop-back. Theplunger is of a cylindrical shape substantially from end to end. Thisconfiguration is to be regarded as the general type of the plungerbecause in some instances the cylindrical wall is interrupted by apartial taper as in Figure 2 or a spiral groove as in Figure 7. v

This adjustable means comprises mainly the plug 11 which is screwed intothe threaded counterbore 12 of the spring chamber 9, and for thepurposes of the desired adjustment, has a screw driver slot 14 admittingthe point of a screw driver so that turning of the plug up and down maybe accomplished. A coil spring 17 imposes pressure upon the plunger. Thestraightened end 18 of the spring extends through one of the passages 8and occupies a small drilled hole or bore 19 in the plunger 10. Thestraightened end of the spring confines the pressure to a restrictedpoint below the center of gravity of the plunger.

A sealing-off projection 20, rising from one end 28 of the plunger, actsin conjunction with the seat I to throttle the by-passing gas or otherfluid more and more the higher the plunger rises. This sealing-offprojection consists of a convex dome, and the general shape prevailswhether the dome comprises the rounded terminal of the projection 20 orconsists of the rounded end that merges directly with the cylindricalwall of the plunger as in Figure 7. The action enables securing adiminishing volume of by-passing gas or other fluid while the outsidedifferential pressure is rising. Thus, is obtained, the extremelyimportant advantage of being able to by-pass the plunger with thegreatest volume of gas at low differential, that is to say, while thefluid column is moving slowly and therefore needs more applied liftingenergy. As the fluid column is accelerated in its movement, less andless energy is applied to lift such column at the required speed. Theprojection 20 will accom-- plish sealing-off engagement with the seat 7.

Reverting to the spring 17, it is to be noted that the single lowerstraight end 18 rests on the base of the hole 19 drilled in the plunger,the bottom of said hole being near the bottom of the plunger. Thedistance between the bottom of the hole and the bottom end of theplunger should be less than one-half the diameter of the plunger. If thebottom of the hole is more than one-half the diameter of the plungerfrom the bottom end of the plunger, then, the plunger will to the factthat it would be balanced above center, that is to say, a knee actiondevelops at high pressure.

If the distance between the lower end of the spring hole 19 and thelower end of the plunger is less than one-half the diameter of theplunger, then the by-passing gas can more easily hold and does hold theplunger in a central position in its chamber, thereby allowing an evenflow of compressed air or gas around all sides of the plunger. The lowerrounded end 32 of the plunger seats upon a closure sleeve-plug 33 as inFigure 1.

In Figure l .the plunger chamber is of tapering formation as at 59,being larger in diameter at the bottom than at the top. The plungeritself is cylindrical, the walls being straight. It will be evident thatthe greatest volume of bypassing pressure fiuid will be admitted at lowexternal differentials, and that, as the plunger compresses the spring17 the diminishing area between shoulder 28 of the plunger and the wall59 of the plunger chamber will constantly reduce the volume so admitted.This gives the desired result of admitting less lifting energy as lessis needed, due to the increasing differential pressure on the outside,the increasing differential being indicative of or the equivalent of theincreasing velocity in the moving fluid. column.

The important rule to be observed is that the taper of wall 59 must besuch as to restrict the volume of gas faster than the increasing tensionof the spring 17 tends to admit greater volume through smallerby-passing area. The further spring 17 is compressed, the greaterresistance it offers to further compression. It is therefore 1 evidentthat if we are able to have less volume with greater compression of thespring the taper 59 must act faster than the increasing tension onspring 17.

Figure 2 embodies the same construction as Figure 1 except that theplunger 10 is tapered from a point indicated at 60 to the shoulder orsealing-oil seat 28. The plunger chamber is straight walled at 61 andmade tapering for part of its length as at 62. The plunger and chamberconstruction of Figures 1 and 2 are about of equal importance, and avolume curve plotted from a meter reading of the type in Figure 2 givesan extremely efficient power line.

The reader, if familiar with the distribution of the valves along thetubing string, as brought out in the co-pending patent application, canunderstand the statement that there is such a thing as the overlappingof power-to-open in the valves. It has been demonstrated that the dropback of the valve plunger can be regulated, and in practice should be soadjusted with reference to the spacing of the valves along the tubingstring that when the lowest open valve is wide open, the next valveabove should be approximately two-thirds open, and the next valve abovethat should be approximately one-third open. The effect of this peculiaraction is to introduce proper volumes of the lifting pressure fluid atvarious points along the liquid col umn and to apply the lifting effortwith increasing intensity where most needed.

Figure 3 shows the wall of the plunger chamber 6 to have cut therein thespiral groove 63 which is deepest at the bottom at a point adjacent tothe plug sleeve 33 and shallowest adjacent to the seat 7. Thisparticular formation of the spiral groove enables the plunger chantberto be drilled straight, and the plunger 10 to be made straight, sumcientclearance for byresult being obtained thereby.

passing the requisite amount of pressure fluid being allowed, and enoughclearance being provided at the same time to avoid the danger of theplunger strieking in the chamber, due to the possible presence offoreign matter. A description of other features in Figure 3 need not begiven because this is identical with that apply ing to such forms asFigures 1 and 2, as evident by corresponding reference characters.

Figure 4 illustrates the same idea as shown in Figure 3 except that theforegoing spiral groove is now replaced by perpendicular slots 64.Either the spiral groove 63 or slots 64, which are tapering as clearlyappears in Figs. 3 and 4, defines a passageway in the wall of therespective chamber which diminishes in the direction of one of theports. In practice, it is very difficult to cut the perpendicular slotsin the plunger chamber proper, and thus the use of a split bushing 65 isresorted to, the same It is observed in Figure 5 that the split bushingis built integrally with the bottom sleeve-plug 33, and that the plungerchamber, (Figure 4), is taperreamed at 59 to receive the split bushing.

It will be instantly observed that the area of the opening on eitherside of the bushing diminishes from the bottom of the bushing to thetop. This diminishing area affords means for diminishing the volume asthe plunger 10 rises With higher external differentials of pressure. Theforegoing statement may be laid down as a rule, and must be observed inthis case; the diminishing taper of the by-passing slots 64 must actfaster than the increasing tension of the coil spring 17 in order thatthere may be secured the desired result of diminishing volume ofpressure fluid flow through the plunger chamber with increasing externaldifferential fluid pressure.

Figure 7 illustrates a type of valve equally adaptable to either tubingor casing methods of flowing, the foregoing forms of the valve beingespecially designed for the requirement of the tubing method alone. Thearrangement is that of opposed springs 43 and 44, the remote extremitiesof which rest against adjustable closure plugs 45 and 46. The adjacentextremities of the springs terminate in straight axial ends 47 and 48which are received in small holes in the ends of the plunger 10 and uponwhich the plunger is suspended midway of the plunger chamber 6. Theplunger has a spiral groove 31 against which the fluid passing throughthe plunger chamber acts to cause rotation of the plunger, both ends ofsaid plunger being rounded for the following purpose.

Sleeve plugs 49 and 50 have beveled seats 51 and 52 with which theforegoing rounded ends are engageable. The plunger chamber 6 and springchambers 9 constitute a single bore in the lateral enlargement 5 of thevalve body, but this bore is sub-divided by the two sleeve-plugs 49 and50 as shown. A port 53 affords communication between the conduit 2 andlower spring chamber 9 while a port 54 affords communication between theupper spring chamber 9 and the outside of the valve. The passage of thesleeve 50 is virtually a continuation of the port 54 because a closureof the passage by the plunger will stop a flow through the port. As hasalready been stated, the type of valve in Figure 7 may be used witheither the tubing or casing method.

When used in connection with the casing -mcthod, the valve is insertedeither end up into the string of tubing. By introducing compressed fluidinto the tubing the port 53 permits discharge of the fluid past theplunger 10 which thus becomes seated upon the seat 52 at the propersealing-off differential. This differential is adjusted by means of theplug 46. In employing the valve for the tubing method, the compressedfluid enters the port 54, and in bypassing the plunger 10 forces thelatter upon the seat 51 at the proper differential for which adjustmentis obtained by means of the plug 45. The arrangement of springs not onlyprovides for very sensitive adjustment of spring tensions, but alsoprovides a fool-proof device which operates for either tubing or casingmethod with either end up.

It is thus impossible to place the valve incorrectly in the tubingstring. It will function perfectly for either method, depending solelyupon whether the gas is admitted through the tubing or through thecasing, thus eliminating the ever present danger in oil fields ofcareless or incompetent help possibly getting a valve upside down.

Figure 8 resembles the forms in Figures 1 and 2 to some degree, butillustrates two fea tures of essential difference not shown in anyprevious illustration. First, the graduated means for reducing thevolume of pressure fluid by-passing the plunger 10 comprises a series ofperforations or cavities in the walls of the plunger chamber 6. Theseperforations are evenly spaced on each side of the plunger chamber (Fig.9).

The pressure fluid is admitted through the sleeve-plug 33 and theperforations 70. These perforations, it will be observed, beginimmediately above the top of the plunger. As the plunger rises, due tothe increasing external pressure differential, it automatically closes,or better stated, partially closes the perforations 70. It is evidentthat the higher the plunger rises the more of perforations 70 are closedand consequently the higher the plunger rises the less volume ofpressure fluid is admitted through the discharge ports or passages 74.The plung er 10 has a loose fit in the plunger chamber, in practice,there being a small fraction of clearance therearound. It will thereforebe observed that the plunger does not actually close the perforations asit rises, but does so obstruct them as to materially decrease the volumeof pressure fluid admitted through the perforations.

The second feature comprises the check valve assemblage generallyindicated '71. This is situated medially of the chambers 6, 9 andintersects the passage going from one chamber to the other. The checkvalve body includes a transverse duct which when lined up as shownconstitutes the greater proportion of the foregoing passage. Ittherefore becomes necessary to place the check valve above theperforations, and this is done in the manner illustrated.

While the well is flowing by the tubing meth- 0d, the ball '72 (Fig. 8)does not seal-off against the landing 73 because of the perforations 74,but if it should be desired to reverse the pressure for the purpose ofcleaning obstructions from the intake at the bottom of the tubing theball 72 immediately engages the seat '75 as pressure is reversed and atsuch a time the escape of fluid through the perforations would beprevented. The screw driver slot 76 is vertical whenever the inside endof the check valve assembly is in proper position to conform to theconduit 2 of the valve body.

I claim:-

I. A valve comprising a valve body having independent chambers with aconnecting passage and ports affording communication of the passage withthe interior of the body, and of one of the chambers with the exteriorof the body, a valve-plunger of a cylindrical shape substantially fromend to end being situated in said one of the chambers, a convex domehead on the inner end of the plunger capable of shutting off theadjacent port, and resilient means situated in the other chamber havinga portion extending therefrom through said connecting passage intoengagement with the valve plunger.

2. A valve comprising a valve body having independent but connectedchambers with ports affording communication between the interior andexterior of the body through one of the chambers, a valve-plunger ofacylindrical shape substantially from end to end being situated in oneof the chambers, a convex dome head on the inner end of the plungerengageable with the adjacent port, said plunger normally seatingadjacent the other port, resilient means situated in the other chamber,and a straightened end of said resilient means entering an opening inthe plunger and bearing upon the plunger at a predetermined point thustending to hold the plunger in said last-named seating position.

3. .A valve comprising a valve body having ports at which communicationbetween the interior and exterior of the body is afforded, valve meanscapable of seating adjacent to either of the ports for the closure ofthe respective ports, said ports being connected by a rectilinearchamber containing said valve means and having a tapering formationextending from one port to the other for constantly varying the volumeof gas by-passing the valve means as said valve means moves toward aseating position adjacent to one of the ports.

4. A valve comprising a valve body having ports at which communicationbetween the interior and exterior of the body is afforded, a plungercapable of seating upon either of the ports for the closure of therespective ports, said ports being connected by a chamber containing theplunger and including a tapering formation extending from one port tothe other for constantly varying the volume of gas as the plunger movestoward seating position adjacent to one of the ports, and resilientmeans applying continuous pressure upon the plunger enforcing seatingupon one of the ports in the absence of gas pressure and tending toprevent seating upon the other port under gas pressure.

5. A valve comprising a valve body having ports affording communicationwith the interior and exterior of the body, a plunger movable to aseating position adjacent to either port, a tapering chamber connectingthe ports and containing the plunger, and a slotted bushing inserted inthe chamber, forming a guide for the plunger and providing a by-pass ofdiminishing area.

6. A valve comprising a body having a chamber with ports communicablewith the interior and exterior of a tubingin which the valve body isconnectible, means associated with the valve body providing restrictedpassages and subdividing the chamber, a valve plunger in one of thesubdivisions, and yieldable means by which the valve means is suspendedin position between said ports, said yieldable means being situated inthe remaining subdivisions and each having a portion extending therefromthrough the passage-providing means into engagement with the valveplunger.

'7. A valve comprising a body connectible in a tubing, there being achamber in said body having ports respectively communicating with theinterior and exterior of the tubing, restricted passage-making meansarranged within the chamber adjacent to each port and having valveseats, a valve-plunger located in the chamber between said means andhaving openings, and resilient means including springs situated in thechamber beyond said passage-making means, each spring having its endsextending through the passages and fitting in said openings thus tosuspend the valve-plunger between said passage-making means, saidvalve-plunger having a spiral groove.

8. A valve comprising a body having a conduit communicable with sectionsof tubing between which the valve body is connectible, said body havinga chamber outside of the conduit with ports respectively affordingcommunication with the conduit and with the outside of the valve body,sleeves fixed in the chamber adjacent to the near sides of the ports, avalve plunger situated in the chamber and movable to a sealing offposition on the respective sleeves adjacent to either port by pressurefluid admitted to the chamber through the other port, and opposedyieldable means on the far sides of the sleeves having portionsextending through the sleeves into engagement with the valve plungertending to suspend the valve plunger in an approximately mid-position insaid chamber.

9. An automatic flow valve unit comprising a valve body havingindependent chambers joined by a connecting passage, a plunger operablein one of the chambers being capable of assuming seating positions atthe respective ends of the chamber, a spring in the other chamber havinga straightened end extending through said connecting passage and bearingupon the plunger, and a check valve assemblage incorporated in the valvebody communicating with the plunger chamber through said passage.

10. A valve comprising a body having independent chambers joined by aconnecting passage, one of the chambers having a longitudinal series ofperforations in its wall, a plunger operable in the latter chamber beingcapable of traversing the series of perforations and assuming seatingpositions at the respective ends of the chamber, and a spring in theother chamber having a straightened end extending through the end ofsaid passage and bearing upon the plunger.

ALEXANDER BOYNTON.

